EA Sports College Football 26 aims to make the college game even bigger and better than its predecessor last year. With updated rosters, dynamic substitutions, and blocking and coverage system improvements among many others, there’s ample reason for newcomers and veterans alike to be stepping onto the gridiron this year. Of course, not everyone’s as experienced as one another, and so making sure you have the right difficulty mode in College Football 26 is important to ensure you have an enjoyable and competitive game. The problem is, the difficulty modes in CFB 26 are a little bit vague in what they change.
In this guide, I’ll go through all difficulty modes in College Football 26 and explain what they change so you can find the right level of challenge for you.
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There are four different difficulty options to choose from in College Football 26. These are:
- Freshman
- Varsity
- All-American
- Heisman
As their names suggest, Freshman is the easiest difficulty, and they increase in challenge all the way up to Heisman. Below, I’ve explained what I’ve noticed changes on each difficulty setting.
Freshman
This is the easiest mode in College Football 26 and is one that will only be worth playing for complete newcomers to the NCAA and Madden series.
Your AI opponent will make it easy to predict in the offense, and will give you more than enough time to find the perfect pass or the gap if you’re rushing when on defense.
As mentioned, though, it does serve a purpose for newcomers. American Football can take some time to get your head around the various rules and plays. Having a more forgiving opponent so you can experiment with your playbook and see what works in different scenarios is incredibly valuable for learning the ropes.
Varsity
Varsity offers a more balanced experience, with the computer-controlled opponent being more efficient on the ball and at least having some good coverage of your targets on defense. In other words, things aren’t as wide open when you’ve got the ball, and you’ll need to at least think about your players’ positioning on defense.
If you’ve put some hours into College Football or Madden in the past but need a refresher, this is a good place to start.
All-American
All-American requires you to start really thinking about the best play for each snap of the ball. Do you want your Safety pushing further up, or sitting deeper? Are you going to run an RPO, and if so, which one best suits the scenario, and how your opponent has been playing?
It offers up a decent challenge for most players and your opponent is going to find ways to exploit your defensive mistakes and pick up turnovers if you try risky plays that you would have probably pulled off on lower difficulties.
Heisman
The very hardest difficulty in College Football 26 that not only requires an expert understanding of the game’s mechanics, but also of the real-life game itself. Unless you’ve been playing Madden or NCAA for years, then chances are you’re going to have a terrible time. And even if you have played these games a lot in the past, this can be a punishing mode all the same.
For those seeking out the ultimate challenge, make sure that you’re well-versed with your team’s playbook and know when it’s worth rolling the dice on a risky play, and when you’re better off keeping things safe.
All Depends on Your Experience
If you’re completely new to College Football 26, I’d recommend starting on the Freshman difficulty setting and seeing how you find it. This is a good way of learning the different mechanics and essentially gives you more time on each snap to figure out your play.
For those finding Freshman too easy, then Varsity is a better option. This still gives you a good amount of time when you’re on offense, and isn’t making pro plays that feel impossible to defend against. Make a complete blunder, though, and the opposition will punish you on both sides of the ball.
All-American feels like where most online players are currently at, so it makes for a good offline challenge for more seasoned players or those wanting some practice before heading online. The AI is competent and demands you to make full use of your playbook, rather than relying on a few tried and tested plays. Similarly, you’ll need to learn how to read and predict offensive plays and organize your defense effectively to keep the AI from running away with the lead.
Heisman is the difficulty mode I’d recommend for long-term, seasoned players of the Madden and College Football series. You’ll know the best ways to mitigate offensive plays, know the playbook inside out, and find yourself winning more often than not online.
To change the difficulty in College Football 26, go into the ‘Settings’ menu and then look for the ‘Skill Level’ option within the ‘Game Options’ tab. Here, you can cycle between the four difficulty options.
Once you’ve selected the difficulty you want to change to, back out of the menus and ensure that any changes you’ve made have been applied.
